"Very well, I shall try and help you dissuade Miss Eberhardt in thinking there is a future between you, but you must promise me that you will try with someone."
His lip twitched into a devilishly handsome grin. Victoria found herself reaching for the lapels of his jacket, pulling him close. Realizing her mistake, she dropped her hands, mentally chastising herself for giving him ideas of them.
"Thank you," he said before striding for the door and leaving her sitting on his desk to watch him go. She frowned after him, unsure if she was put out or relieved by his departure.
Stupid fool that she was, she did not know which one it was.
Later that evening, when everyone was abed, Albert stole out to the stables, saddled his gelding, and rode out to his hunting lodge. He was behind on his words and needed to get down several pages before he fell behind on his deadline.
The lodge was quiet and dark, and he took a few moments starting the fire and lighting almost all the candles he had there, needing light above all else. He would normally travel down here through the day and leave before nightfall or just after, but due to his guests, his routine was all at odds.
He sat down at his desk, the words flowing from his fingers for several hours, his mind transported to the dark, dank streets of London, the story taking a menacing turn where the heroine was in search of the hero after footpads had kidnaped him.
The sound of birds chirping pulled him from his pages, and he looked up to see the kiss of dawn on the landscape outside. He leaned back in his chair, stretching and yawning, wondering how he would get through the day playing host while needing to sleep.
"Albert? Are you out here?"
He swore at the sound of Victoria's voice, throwing the manuscript pages into a leather folder and locking it away in the bookshelf behind him.
He went over to the decanter of whiskey, drinking from the bottle to freshen his mouth just as the door opened. Victoria poked her head around the wood, a warm smile forming on her lips.
"Ah, so this is where you were hiding all night. I did try to find you to partake in more lessons but could not locate you. A servant told me you had ridden out to the hunting lodge."
What was he to tell her? That he wrote the very books she loved to read out here? That he was her favorite author? Albert chose neither.
"I needed to check on the lodge. There have been reports of poachers and thieves in the area," he lied, having never cared if people walked his grounds and took wildlife from him to feed their families.
She closed the door behind her, walking about the lodge and taking in the thick Aubusson rugs under her leather boots. She was wearing trews again and her tight riding jacket that accentuated her figure. The kiss they shared the last time she was attired so rose up in his mind and he took a calming breath, cooling his desire.
He followed her progress with something akin to a man starved of sustenance. He was starting to think he was a little obsessed with winning her love.
She flopped down onto a settee, kicking off her boots and undoing the buttons on her riding jacket, throwing it aside. She wore a white linen shirt beneath, hemmed prettily with lace. "This is as good a place as any for more lessons." She reached into a bag that he had not seen over her shoulder, pulling out the book of sketches of sexual positions.
She opened it to the last page they had looked upon. "I thought we should start here, Albert. Discuss what I liked about what you did to me the other evening, and how perhaps what you can have with your wife when the time comes.”
He inwardly groaned but joined her, sitting close by, reveling in the fresh scent of her. Had she bathed already so early this morning? He wanted to kiss her, kiss her skin and see for himself if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
"Very well," he agreed. Feeling bold, he pointed to the sexual act of the man kissing the woman between her legs. "I should like to know if my wife would enjoy such touch. Would you be brave enough to let me practice on you, Victoria?"
He held his breath, knowing it was wrong what he was asking her. He ought to be horsewhipped. Her brother ought to put a bullet through his skull, and still, he did not back down. Merely waited for her to reply.
Her chin rose defiantly, and he knew her answer before she uttered it. Of all her siblings, Victoria was never the one to back down from a challenge, certainly if it were asked as such.
"Of course. I said I would help you, and I will. Shall we start now?"
Liquid-hot desire rushed through his veins, and he stood, pulling her to stand. "Let me help you with these," he stated, untying the buttons on her breeches. Dear God, she was magnificent, and the idea of what they were about to do was beyond his dreams. He just hoped he performed it as well as she hoped. He would hate to disappoint his future bride.
Chapter 22
What on earth was she doing? She should not be allowing such intimate acts with a gentleman she had no intention of marrying. But the dark, hungry gaze of Albert’s pushed away her nervousness and allowed a boldness she never thought she would possess to take charge.
Even if she were known in her family as
